


What's Your Number?

by juniperpuff



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, Dirty Talk, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Flirty Bucky, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Neighbors, Smut, oops it's smut now, rom com plot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:33:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21937522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperpuff/pseuds/juniperpuff
Summary: Steve's mom is not giving up when it comes to the Christmas party this year. If he doesn't bring a date, she's going to find one for him. When his flirty neighbor knocks on his door, his brain comes up with a really dumb idea. Hopefully the neighbor doesn't mind playing pretend for a party.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 24
Kudos: 86





	1. Saturday

**Author's Note:**

> I'm maybe going to change the title. But I don't really know.

Another failed date for Steve, well, I guess you can only say partially failed. As the woman he spent the previous night with was in the bathroom as he brewed a pot of coffee. He hadn’t intended on bringing someone home, but there’s just something about that eggnog down at Stark’s Pub that always turns him into an idiot. 

Steve heard the shower turn off and chugged too much of his coffee given the hot temperature. The woman… Sherri? Shirley? Crap…

“That was fun, Steve,” the woman with a name Steve couldn’t remember if his life depended on it said before kissing him on the cheek. She waved and walked out the door before Steve could respond, clearly understanding the point of their evening was concluded. He always loved when he didn’t have to force people out. It wasn’t that he was some kind of monster, he just couldn’t help that sometimes he got a little lonely. 

His friend Sam said that’s what made it even worse. Steve was genuinely just looking to make a connection, but the “poor little prince couldn’t find their one true love.” It drove Steve nuts when Sam said it, even though he wasn’t wrong. 

It was 2019, Steve didn’t have to be celibate until he found his one true love. Besides, compared to his neighbor, he was an absolute angel. Every single morning it seemed like his neighbor across the hall had to send a new conquest away. Half of the time when Steve would leave his apartment, he was greeted to the vision of the barely dressed man grabbing his newspaper from his doorstep. Today was no exception. 

After the mystery woman left, Steve decided to go for a run. He had way too much pent up energy. He seemed to always be full of energy these days. Such a change from his childhood where he could barely make it up a flight of stairs without passing out, but many medical advances later, he was fit as a fiddle. He left his apartment with his phone in his hand, trying to pick a playlist that would keep him pumped up, but he was stopped in his tracks by his neighbors naked body, save for the hand towel he had delicately draped in front of his body. How did someone even pull that off? 

Steve cleared his throat and tried to avoid eye contact but he felt his neighbors eyes on him like a burning ray. 

“Morning,” Steve mumbled as he walked by with a nod. 

His neighbor’s lips raised higher on one side in the most devilish smirk, before Steve barrelled past mentally chastising himself for trying to peek behind the towel. 

Steve’s run ended the way most did, not because he was tired but because he got hungry. He arrived at his usual dinner and ordered the biggest breakfast he could find. The waitress was always so nice about his large orders, and sometimes even brought him extra toast because of how ravenous he looked. As he devoured his meal, he noticed a few magazines stacked on the window sill in his booth. He started flipping through, not really retaining any of the information, until one page caught his eye. 

_ HOW MANY PARTNERS IS TOO MANY? WILL YOU STILL FIND TRUE LOVE?  _

He scoffed at first, but as he read through the article all the psychological studies cited were starting to make him feel a little warm. He finished the article, paid the bill, and quietly tore the three page article from the magazine. He didn’t even know why. 

Steve got home and pulled out his old trusty laptop. Or as his friend Tony called it, a relic from days gone by. Sure, technology wasn’t his thing, but he could google things when he wanted to and that’s what mattered. Besides, it seemed like anytime he tried to use technology, his inner old man brought it all to a halt. It seemed easier to keep it simple. 

He typed in the author’s name of the cited studies from the article and found a legitimate psychological study. He was very disgruntled to see that after 20 partners, a person was significantly less likely to get married. 

“Ridiculous,” Steve said out loud to himself before slamming the laptop shut, only to reopen it seconds later to keep reading. 

He read through the full study, desperate for a big plot hole, but it’s not like it was a fiction book. Steve started thinking through his past. How many had it really been? He wasn’t a total player, he was more of a serial monogamist. He loved love, and he loved being able to find someone to spend time with, but he was just constantly finding the wrong people. 

Before he realized what he was doing, he was jotting down a list of names. His past relationships, flings, one night stands. He just had to know what his number was at. First on the list, Peggy, his high school girlfriend. He added a few others, including last nights Sh… He wished he could remember her name. He counted up the total and he was at 19. 

“Holy fuck!” He groaned to himself. He had one more chance according to the article. One more wrong choice and he’d probably never get married. He understood that it wasn’t a definite determination, but there was something so scary about that thought. He immediately texted Sam and asked him to meet at Stark’s. Steve needed to reaffirm that he wasn’t insane. He needed to hear someone else say that he would be fine. 


	2. Saturday Continued

Sam arrived looking effortless as usual. Steve and Sam had been friends since they were in high school. They knew everything about each other but even Steve didn’t know how Sam would react to this weird line of questioning he was about to begin. 

“Sam, how many people have you slept with?” Steve blurted out as Sam took his first sip of beer, immediately choking on it. 

“Steven Grant Rogers,” he coughed, “This is not how we do. We don’t ask dumbass questions to try to kill each other.” 

“Sorry,” He wasn’t really, too anxious. “But how many?”

“I don’t know how that’s your business, dude!” Sam’s voice was still half caught in his throat as he tried to clear out the liquid from his lungs. 

“I’m not trying to be a dick, I just need your help with something! I read this article, and I need to know if I’m broken and going to be alone forever.” 

“You’re the most dramatic little brat in the world you know that?” Sam said, holding his hand out to wait for Steve to hand him he piece of paper he was flailing around. 

Sam read through the article quickly and rolled his eyes. “This is bullshit, man.” 

“Thank you!” Relief started to wash over Steve. 

“How is the average number that people sleep with so high?” Sam squinted at the paper making sure that he read it right. “11 people? I’m way behind.” 

Steve’s face dropped. Oh no. “Excuse?” 

“I mean, I know I’m not the norm, I’ve been with Riley since we met in flight training, but damn. Wait, why are you sad?” 

“Fuck.” Steve’s head dropped to the counter. 

Sam just laughed. “Where are you at?” 

Steve’s voice was muffled by his arm as he remained firmly planted into the counter. 

Sam pulled him up by the collar of his shirt. 

“19,” Steve winced. 

“You’re just fine,bud.” Sam laughed. 

“I have one more chance to find the perfect person Sam. Not all of us can fall in love with our old best friend from kindergarten.” 

“Well, I’ll have you know he was my first boyfriend thank you very much. He broke my heart, when he broke up with me at recess the next day because Suzy Soloman said boys can’t be in love, but when we met again at flight school, it was like no time had passed.” 

“Well, we can’t all just find our old flames and fall back in love with them. I have one more chance to find the perfect match. So no more. No more anything until I find the one I’m going to be with forever.” Steve slammed his hand down on the bar a bit louder than expected. With an apologetic smile he motioned for two shots. 

When the arrived he raised his glass and stood up in front of his friend, “The next person I sleep with will be the person I will be with forever!” 

They clinked their shots and chugged them down. Steve then ordered another few rounds, and suddenly a few rounds turned into too many rounds. He danced, he drank, and he woke up the next morning in bed, with another man’s arm draped across his chest. 


	3. Sunday

Well fuck. He mentally chastised himself, grabbed his phone and quietly padded into the bathroom. 

He texted Sam to see if he was up and immediately got a phone call back. 

“Sam, why didn’t you get me out of that bar???” Steve’s whisper was as aggressive as a scream, but Sam only laughed. 

“I did! You literally ran away from me. I tried to remind you about your new proclamation, but instead you grabbed onto some big ol’ blonde hunk and jumped on his back and yelled “HI HO SILVER AWAY!” 

Steve crumpled onto the floor with his free hand over his face. 

“No I didn’t.” He begged. 

“Yeah, and then when I followed you and found you making out, I told you to come with me, and you explained that you were a grown man and you didn’t need a babysitter. I disagreed, dragged you out and took you home. What happened after that is apparently you’re more resourceful than I give you credit for.” 

Steve looked at is phone in horror to see a string of text messages to a contact he didn’t recognize that was just labelled as “hot bar guy” telling him to come over. 

“Isn’t 20 the magic number? You’ve got a husband for life now!” Sam teased before Steve hung up on him. 

Steve contemplated how long he could hide in the bathroom, and whether forever was an option. He suddenly remembered that his mom would be over for lunch at noon, he couldn’t hide anymore. 

When Steve’s visitor woke up as Steve exited the bathroom, they shared an uncomfortable smile. The guy was clearly not in the mood to hang around, quickly gathering his clothes and not making a lot of small talk. Steve wouldn’t normally care much, but that article was really grabbing hold. 

As hot bar guy left, Steve became really annoyed at himself. It wasn’t like him to have one night stands. He tended to be more of a relationship guy. He loved spending time with someone, getting to know what made them tick. But he’d been so busy at work with a huge project that he had no time to go on dates. But you didn’t need dates for some release, at least that’s what his coworker Natasha always said. She would hate this article that Steve had become obsessed with. 

***

Noon snuck up on him and his Mom arrived with a loud knock but no pause before she came bursting in.

“Hi Mom!” Steve said with a smile as he tossed some veggies and rice on the stove. 

“Hello my boy!” Her smile was contagious but Steve knew that her enthusiasm was linked to something that he probably wouldn’t love. He could feel it in his bones. 

“You’re awfully chipper…” His eyes narrowed as he looked her over, eyes pausing on the plastic bag she held that was jammed with something he couldn’t quite decipher. 

“Can’t a mother just be happy to see her boy?” 

Steve stared at her silently, eyebrows creasing in the center in what Sam called his signature “disappointed Steve face” 

“Fine. well, As you know, Christmas is just around the corner.” 

“Mmmmhm…”

“Well, this year I am hosting the family dinner.”

“This I know, you’ve been talking about it since last year’s roast beef instead of turkey debacle.” 

“Well,” she rolled her eyes, “I’m not going to make a huge mistake like that! Instead, I’ve got a whole menu planned! She whipped a binder full of tabs and what looked like hundreds of pages. Steve aimlessly flipped through the sections, noticing drink menus, appetizer recipes, and then table settings. 

“Wait,” Steve turned his head to see the one slightly smudged tab a bit better. As he did, his mother frantically started grabbing at the book. “Why does this say Steve’s Plus One?” 

Sarah avoided eye contact for as long as possible, but Steve’s focus never wavered. 

“So, you know how you always come to the dinner alone? And it’s lovely because I get time to talk with you, but this year I’ll be so busy, I won’t be able to sit and chat! I’ll be running the show as it were. So I thought I would try to help you find a date to keep you company!” 

“Mom,” Steve couldn’t decide if that was very sweet or horribly pathetic, but he was leaning towards the second. “I don’t need you to find me a date.” 

“Well, you’re so busy these days, or at least that’s what you tell me when I ask if you’re seeing anyone. You know no one in the family cares whether it’s a man or a woman, right? We’re all happy you get to be yourself and no one will judge you. We all just want you to be happy!” 

“I don’t need to have a plus one to keep me company. I will just talk to my family members, dozens of them who will be there for you to feed and stuff.” Steve grumbled. 

“That’s fine and dandy dear, but you and I both know that family dinners are easier when you have someone. I remember the first year your father… well, you know. It was horrible. I just want you to have someone to share this magical season with!” 

“Mom!” Steve was getting annoyed. He had never really thought of himself as a desperate man, or a pathetic man, but here his mom was with a tab dedicated to finding him a date in her damn Christmas binder. That was pretty pathetic and it had turned him desperate. But a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. 

Steve got up and marched to the door, when he answered it, he found his incredibly adorable neighbor standing there, more clothed than Steve had seen him in awhile. 

“Hey, so I got locked out with my groceries, can I put my ice cream in your freezer until the landlord gets here? He always takes so long.” 

Steve didn’t think, he just leaned in and pulled his neighbor in close for a big hug. As his arms hesitantly patted Steve’s back, Steve whispered into the fluffy hair in front of his cute neighbor’s ears. 

“Please just go along with this for a second, I’m so sorry.” 

The neighbor, Steve thinks his name is Chucky or something, but he gave a quick little nod as Steve grabbed the bag of groceries and tucked the ice cream away. 

“Mom, so I don’t need a date to your Christmas party because I already have a guy.” 

If his neighbor was mad, he was hiding it well. “That’s right, no need to set him up. He’s already got me!” 

Sarah stood and looked at him from top to bottom before looking at Steve. “If you have a boyfriend, why haven’t you told me?” 

“Hi there, by the way,” he stepped closer to Sarah with his hand outstretched. “My name is James Buchanan Barnes but everyone called me Bucky.” 

“Sarah Rogers.” She shook his hand, clearly thrown off by his polite gesture. 

“Ms. Rogers, it’s all fairly new, so I think Stevie here was just unsure if bringing his new boyfriend to the family Christmas was a good idea. You know how it is, if you have someone in all your Christmas photos, you want them to be a keeper!” 

Sarah softened at his playful banter. Bucky’s cool confidence and quick answers were even throwing Steve off. He gave Bucky no warning really, they barely even ever spoke. Steve didn’t even know how Bucky knew his name. 

“I suppose I understand.” Sarah sighed. 

“Well, Steve, please consider inviting him. I’d love to get the chance to get to know him.” 

“I thought you’d be too busy to talk to me on Christmas, mother.” Steve said in a snarkier tone than he meant. 

Bucky laughed it off while walking over to him and draping his arm over Steve’s shoulder. 

Sarah excused herself to the washroom, and as soon as she left the room Bucky burst into laughter. 

“Wow. That was unexpected.”  
“I know, I’m so so sorry Bucky! I don’t even know where that idea came from!” Steve’s whispers were verging on too loud, so Bucky motioned him into the hallway. 

“Listen, I know we’re not the best of buds, but I’ll be around for Christmas if you need a fake boyfriend. I don’t really mind at all. I have no other plans on Christmas day, so may as well get some free food out of it!”

“I can’t ask you to do that Bucky, it’s so weird! I shouldn’t lie to my mom and family, I should just own up to the fact that I’ve been way too busy at work to go on a date. I swear my mom isn’t always trying to set me up, she just gets a little nutty over the holidays.”

“First of all, you didn’t ask, I offered. Second, I’ve always wanted to see what a big family Christmas is like! I’ve never really had one. You’d be doing me a favor too. And all you have to do is hug me a few times, maybe a couple kisses here and there. I’m not asking you to fall in love with me. But like, if you want to fool around, for practice and stuff, that’s something I’m open to.” Bucky winks and it makes Steve’s stomach somersault. 

Steve knew that Bucky was aware he was gorgeous. He wouldn’t spend so much time mostly nude in a hallway if he wasn’t confident. But it was different now, normally it wasn’t directed at Steve. His handsomeness was easy to ignore when he just seemed like some gross playboy. But right now, he was being really sweet and flirty and offering to help him even though he really had no obligation to. 

“You know what, fuck it. You really want to do this?” Steve waited for Bucky’s response eagerly. Bucky’s eyes narrowed as they took Steve in, studying his face more intensely then Steve was prepared for. Bucky bit his lower lip into his mouth and nodded. “Great, you’re my fake boyfriend for the next couple of weeks. I’ll come by later tonight so we can hash out some of the details okay?” 

The landlord arrived out of the elevator as they shook hands. Bucky ran his thumb over Steve’s hand, refusing to let it go for just long enough that Steve felt a little bit of electricity through his veins. 

This was going to be fine, he told himself. Knowing full well it was not at all going to be fine. It was a dumpster fire waiting to happen, but for some reason he couldn’t resist it.


	4. Sunday Continued

Steve spent the afternoon trying to explain to his mother about the secret boyfriend. He had to talk about how they got together and when it was. Luckily, Bucky had said it was recent so he didn’t have to pretend like he knew  _ everything _ about him, but he wished he at least knew his job. His mom finally left in the mid afternoon, seemingly satisfied with her line of questioning. Mostly she was just excited for Steve to have a date. She hinted that they would be going all out this year for the Christmas party. So having someone to keep him company was really important. 

Steve waited until the evening like he said before ordering a pizza. He walked across the hall and knocked on Bucky’s door, inviting him to come join him for food and an explanation. 

“So, do you always get dates by just pretending you’re already dating?” Bucky said as he flopped onto the couch. 

“Oh yeah, as you can tell I’m an old pro at this,” Steve almost laughed, but his body was too tense. “Again, we really don’t have to do this, I don’t want to--” 

Bucky cut him off with a pillow thrown at his face. “I already agreed. You already introduced me to your mom. It’s a done deal, man.” 

Bucky looked too comfortable on the couch. Steve was sitting up, both feet firmly planted on the floor and his back as stiff as it had ever been. He could feel the vein in his neck pulsing, but he was just so tense. How was Bucky so calm all of the time? 

“Let’s start simple, how long did you tell her we were dating for?” Bucky asked while kicking off his boots, turning towards Steve on the couch, and tucking his feet underneath him. 

“I said around a month,” Steve’s dramatic sigh made Bucky laugh, before he leaned in towards him. His hand reached out and grabbed Steve’s shoulder and started rubbing. 

“Great, still new. What did you tell her about me?” Bucky hands pressed into his muscles a few more times until he hit a spot that made Steve flinch. “Sorry,” Bucky said quietly before backing up a little and lowering his hand. Steve felt cold where his hand had been, even though it was only there for a minute. 

“Not much,” Steve cleared his throat and finally relaxed ever so slightly. Leaning back onto the couch and crossing his ankle over his knee as he angled his body towards Bucky. When he looked at him, he realized his body was tense and turning him away as a defence mechanism. He wasn’t used to being this close to him. It was easy to see why Bucky had a constant rotation of people coming out of his apartment. With a jawline that sharp and those sparkling and devious looking grey-blue eyes, he had trouble written all over him. 

“Steve, how much is not much? I need to know everything if we’re going to do this.”

“I mean, I said we’d been on a couple of dates, were kind of casual, you know? Taking it slow, but we decided to be exclusive within the last week. I didn’t say much about you, she was asking about jobs and stuff but I kept changing the subject because I didn’t want to lie about all of that. Just the one lie seemed like enough for now.” 

“Well you did lie about one other thing…” Bucky’s eyes met Steve’s. “If we were dating, I don’t think I could take it slow with you. I don’t think you’re a take it slow kind of guy, are you? You’ve never had a causal relationship in your life.” 

“Hey, everyone can try it once!” Steve shoved Bucky. Technically, he knew that he was wrong. He had a one night stand just a couple of nights ago! Granted he hated it. But still. 

“Okay fine, if we were dating I wouldn’t take it slow because I am not a casual dater.” 

Steve burst out laughing. A deep, real, continuous belly laugh took him over completely while Bucky sat there stunned. 

“Rude.” 

“Buck, I’ve seen well over a hundred people leave your apartment since you moved in. You are strictly a casual dater.” 

“Untrue!” Bucky’s wolfish smile returned. “None of those were people I was dating! I hate that whole casual relationship bullshit. Either be together or not. Don’t do that whole wishy-washy crap where you don’t know what to call a person. If you want to just fuck, that’s fine, but then just go find someone and go. Don’t drag someone along in a weird limbo place for weeks and weeks.”

“That’s what dating is though?” Steve’s eyebrows pulled tightly together. 

“Not for me. When I date someone,” Bucky glanced at Steve’s lips and then looked up to Steve through his eyelashes. “It’s pretty clear right from the start that they get my full attention.”

Steve licked his lips and felt his heart rate speed up. This man was a shameless flirt. He was going to make this very difficult. 

There was a knock at the door that made Steve jump. Saved by the pizza. 

Conversation got easier as the night wore on. They laughed a lot, talked a lot, and Bucky flirted a lot. 

“Steve,” Bucky asked as he grabbed two more beers out of the fridge. He passed one to Steve and took a long drink from his bottle. “Why aren’t you dating?” 

“I’m busy, Buck.” Steve replied in earnest. “It takes so long to date. You have to get to know them, and take them out to dinners, and meet families, and all that stuff. I have been so swamped at work the last few months. I literally haven’t even had time to watch TV, let alone go on a date.”

“You’ve got time tonight. I hear you come home at fairly reasonable times all the time!” Bucky argued. 

“Well I work when I get home too, Buck.” 

“But what happens if you just didn’t do that? If you took a night off. Wouldn’t that be better for your mental health?” 

Steve sighed. He loved his job, that was the honest truth. He was a graphic designer at one of the biggest firms in the city, and while he technically could take on less projects, he really liked being the go-to guy. He would always take over a project if it was running behind, because they always knew they could count on him to make the deadline. But, he was overdue for a vacation, and he was starting to get a little burnt out. 

“You know what, sorry. I shouldn’t push it. It’s not like I’m your real boyfriend who needs to nag you to spend time with me. But, if you ever just want someone to like, sit quietly and keep you company while you work, I’m just next door.” 

“You’d want to just sit there while I work? What would you do?” Steve chuckled. That sounds like a weird thing to do, sit in total silence with someone you didn’t know very well. Especially someone like Bucky. He always got the impression he was such an antsy person. Always jumping from one person to the next, always looking for his next adventure. Maybe he shouldn’t keep holding onto those old judgements, seeing as how none of them turned out to be true. Well, except one. Bucky was definitely confident. No one could flirt that heavily if they weren’t. 

“I don’t know, read? I love reading. Or watch TV quietly. Maybe I’ll just play a game on my phone? I don’t know, Stevie, I feel like you’re going to get lonely over here in this big old apartment all by yourself on this giant couch.” 

“I see how it is,” Steve laughed, “You just want to use me for my couch.” 

Bucky nestled lower into the cushions as if he was being swallowed. Steve couldn’t blame him, it was a comfy couch. 

“I mean, you won’t let me use you for anything else, right?” 

Steve blushed and looked away, but he could see Bucky’s proud smile out of the corner of his eye. They turned on the TV and watched something Bucky seemed excited about but Steve hadn’t ever heard of. At some point, Bucky’s feet ended up in his lap and Steve’s hands went to them without his permission. He managed to stop himself from rubbing them, but he finally got up enough courage to look over at Bucky, but when he did he saw that his sparkling eyes were closed. His breathing was slow and steady and his arm was dangling off the couch. 

Steve took this opportunity to study him a little bit better. His hair was mussed and fluffy, it looked soft and like it would wave if he let it grow out long. His eyebrows had a slight crease forming in the center that Steve wished he could smooth out with a gentle touch. His jawline though, even in his curled up position on the couch still looked so unfair. Steve wanted to touch it. 

Living next door to him over the last year had been a little tricky at times. Steve was glad they didn’t share a wall given the frequency of his visitors, but he couldn’t help but notice him every once and awhile. They would share the elevator up, they would say hello in the hall, and about once a month Bucky would end up with some of Steve’s mail and bring it over. They were cordial most of the time, but Bucky would occasionally throw in a flirty comment. Normally Steve hated compliments like this. He knew people found him attractive, but he really didn’t feel that way about himself and hearing it repeated over and over usually annoyed him. But when Bucky did it, it always caught him off guard. It always made him blush, and it always made him squirm. That’s probably why Bucky did it so much. 

Steve turned back to the cooking show they had been watching and pushed himself down into the couch so his head could rest on the back without having to disturb Bucky. He closed his eyes, hands still on Bucky’s feet, actively choosing not to rub his thumb into the arches because that’s too intimate. That’s what he told himself. 

He woke up and the TV was quiet, with Netflix asking him if he wanted to keep watching. He looked at his phone and saw that it was 3 AM. He pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and put it over Bucky’s still sleeping form and tugged a corner onto his shoulder.

This was going to work. He could pretend to date Bucky for a little family gathering. No big deal, no pressure. People usually ignored Steve anyways, so they would probably ignore Bucky too. Let them just hang out together out of the way. Maybe they could actually become friends. The thought of having a friend to hang out with while he worked at home sounded nice. Sure, he had Sam, but Sam didn’t like the idea of sitting around the apartment and just being. He had to be doing something. Always. Never stopped moving. Steve liked to stop. Steve needed to stop. He needed to train himself to stop every once and awhile. Maybe Bucky could teach him how. 


	5. Monday

Steve woke up with a kink in his neck and a sun beam hitting him right in the eye. He looked beside him to see Bucky had curled into a ball, pulling all of the blanket over him. It was absolutely adorable. Steve chastised himself mentally for staring and then got up to make coffee. 

Bucky woke up to the sound of the coffee maker and pulled the blanket around him and half over his head. He sat up and turned himself into a lump of blankets, staying quiet until Steve brought him a cup of coffee. 

Steve received a mumbled thank you and that was it until at least three quarters of the cup was empty. 

“So, when was your big party again? What’s involved with this thing that I agreed to doing without much thought? Do I need to run a background check on you? Am I going to get murdered? I should have thought this through before agreeing to this, huh?” Bucky laughed as he took the final sip of his coffee and placed the cup on the coaster on the table. 

“Next saturday. My mom’s house is just a couple of blocks over, so we’ll just make our way over that at noon, should be done by nine at the latest.” 

“Great. Well, I should get out of your hair. Go get to the gym so I can make sure to look really good for my boyfriend’s family!” Bucky leaned into Steve quickly, and pecked his cheek with the quickest of kisses as if it were a habit he did every day before standing up. Steve didn’t move. Steve didn’t breathe. He just sat frozen for a moment and watched Bucky’s face go from innocent to devious in about a second and a half. 

“Oh, this is going to be fun,” Bucky chuckled devilishly. “You blush that hard all the time there, sweetie?” 

Steve cleared his throat and stood up directly into Bucky’s space. He had to try and regain some control on himself and this situation. He may be a hopeless disaster, but Bucky didn’t need to know that. 

“We’ll have to wait and see.” Steve licked his lips as his eyes scanned Bucky. Bucky wasn’t blushing like Steve always did, but there was a subtle and quick movement to the eyebrows that Steve caught that made him feel at least a little bit like he had redeemed himself from total humiliation. “Talk to you later.” 

Steve turned and headed to the bathroom in his apartment, leaving Bucky in the living room. He heard a quiet and breathy laugh before the door opened and closed. This was going to be a weird party. Both of them trying to out-flirt the other was going to be dangerous. Especially because all Steve could think about was the article on his bedside table telling him he would never find love because he slept around too much already. 

Maybe he should just live like Bucky. Stop looking for love and instead just have a bunch of meaningless sex every night. Even just the thought of that broke Steve’s heart. He wanted to have real love. He wanted to have someone to come home to in the evenings that would listen to him complain about his annoying subway ride. He wanted to hear about his partner’s excitement over the new season of their favorite show. He wanted someone to come home to, a reason to actually leave his work at work. But apparently the fancy psychologists said his chances of that were low. He didn’t really think he should believe them, but on the other hand, if he hadn’t been able to find it yet, how was it going to get any easier? 

Steve flopped onto his bed dramatically, and grabbed a pillow to shove over his head. He was tempted to let out a loud scream, but he thought that may not be the most reasonable thing to do. He let his eyes close and relax for a minute or two and attempted to clear his mind, but was instead interrupted by his phone ringing all the way in the living room. 

He groaned and rolled out of bed to go get his phone. As he lifted it up, he saw the call was from his mother and he just couldn’t handle that right now. He sent it to voicemail, but before he put the phone down, he saw he had texts from Bucky. 

**Bucky: Hey, thanks for hanging out last night! Sorry I fell asleep on your couch. Let me know if you ever want to hang out after work, I usually am home by 5:30. This will sound corny, but it’s nice having a friend to potentially hang out with who lives so close, so please just text me and I’ll be there!**

**Bucky: That sounded desperate. I just mean that most of my friends live further away so I don’t get to just hang out after work like that, and it sounds nice.**

**Bucky: Not that I think you’re just some filler because my other friends are far.**

**Bucky: I’m nailing this by the way.**

Steve realized he was grinning. 

**Steve: You’re doing great. I’ll let you know when I’m coming home. I have to go run into the office and grab something, but do you want to come back over and eat Chinese food with me?**

**Bucky: Sounds great! Don’t stay at work too long! Remember, it’s the weekend!**

**Steve: Ya, ya, I know. I just forgot my personal sketchbook there and I like having it. Especially because I won’t be going into work over the next week because it’s closed for the holidays.**

**Bucky: Jealous, I have to work like a chump. But at least I have a beautiful boyfriend to look forward to seeing at the end of the day! Text me when you’re home.**

Steve rolled his eyes and headed out into the cold. He pulled his wool hat over his head and wrapped his big scarf around his neck, but it still wasn’t enough to brace him for the cold snap that New York had been experiencing lately. 

Luckily, the office was only a couple of blocks away. He made it there and back with his sketchbook, a six-pack of beer, a bag of nacho chips, and salsa within a half hour. His hands were covered in mittens, so instead of texting Bucky, he simply knocks on the door when he made it up. Bucky answered it looking cute and cuddly in his baggy sweater and sweatpants. 

“Need a hand, handsome?” Bucky asked as he grabbed the grocery bag from Steve and followed him across the hall. 

Steve unlocked the door and Bucky loaded the beer into the fridge. He almost seemed more comfortable in the apartment than Steve did. Steve had a feeling that was just part of Bucky’s confidence. He seemed comfortable in every situation. 

Steve’s clothes felt cold even still, so he decided to change into something comfier. He started pulling off his crewneck sweater as he made his way to his bedroom, not noticing until it was too late that the t-shirt underneath had gotten a bit tangled up. Bucky stood with his eyes transfixed on Steve, looking at the muscles of his back flex as he tugged the shirt. 

It was the loud wolf whistle that let Steve know he was flashing some skin. He scurried away to keep Bucky from seeing him blush. 

Steve returned from his room in a sweatpants/sweater combo similar to Bucky’s and flopped on the couch with his phone in his hand. He decided he should check the voicemail his mother left him earlier, knowing that she would likely be already super annoyed that he ignored her call. 

“ **Steve, this is your mother calling. Just wanted to let you know there has been a change of plans. Our family friends, the Starks, have offered us an invite to their big party room. They know how big the family has gotten, and because they are having their big family Christmas in their hotel, they offered to do a bit of a joint celebration. So, instead of Christmas at my house, we’re all getting rooms at the hotel. Don’t worry, I’ve already reserved you one for you and Bucky, and before you get all high and mighty, it’s all on the Starks. We are all checking in Friday at 4PM and have two nights to live it up! Don’t be late, see you then!”**

Steve scoffed. He loved that his mother didn’t give him the option to go or not go, it was just here’s where you’ll be. 

“Uhh, Buck?” Steve’s grimace made the veins in his neck pop out a bit. It was already too much for Bucky to come to a simple family dinner, let alone steal him away for the entire Christmas weekend to share a hotel room and hang out with a bunch of rich strangers. “We’ve got a problem.” 

“And what does Mama Rogers have to say? She uninvite me?” Bucky said flipping through his phone, and shoving a chip into his mouth. 

“Not exactly. You know the Starks?” 

“You mean the richest family in the country? Who own everything and basically everyone?”

“That would be them.” 

“Yes of course, Steve.” 

“Well, they are old family friends, and they’ve invited my entire family to move our Christmas party to the Stark hotel and combine it with their big annual Christmas party. 

Bucky remained quiet, brows pulled together close in the middle. 

“Which means, my mom’s expecting us to go stay at the hotel on Friday and Saturday night. The party just got a lot bigger and fancier and you have no obligation to remain my plus one. You can just back out now, no harm no foul.”

Bucky’s eyebrows softened and a crooked smirk pulled his lips up to the side. 

“Now Stevie, why would I bail now?”

“Because this is insane? Because this is dumb? Because I am asking you to sacrifice your entire Christmas to pretend to be my boyfriend to impress a bunch of rich people as well as a bunch of my family.”

Bucky’s hand dropped onto Steve’s shoulder. “What you’re asking me to do is attend a super exclusive party with the best food, in the fanciest hotel, sleep in what must be the comfiest bed with my hot ass neighbor while occasionally getting to hold his hand and make out with him tastefully to play my part as the dutiful boyfriend.” 

“Well, when you put it like that,” Steve’s shoulders dropped back down to a normal human level. 

“Stop trying to chase me away. I have no other plans. All of my family is gone right now. My sister is in London for work, and my mom went to go visit her. I’ve got no one else in the area. My friend Nat is down in California for the month with her boyfriend, and I don’t work all weekend. I think you’re cool, Steve. I know you … I know what you think about me, but I just, let me be there to help you get through this.”

Bucky’s speech caught him off guard. What did Bucky think he thought?

“Buck, I don’t think, whatever it is you think I’m thinking, you’re wrong.” 

“Oh please,” Bucky rolled his eyes playfully. His smile was big but Steve could tell there was something more behind it. “Remember last week when you left your house at the same time as my, ahem, visitor did? You looked at me like I was trash.” 

“Buck!” Steve tried to argue, but he’s probably right. He probably had judged him. “I’m sorry.” 

Bucky’s smile dropped a little. 

“If it helps, I don’t feel that way anymore. I just, I just didn’t understand why you would do that. Other than the fact that you could. Like, the world gets it, you’re gorgeous. But just because you COULD sleep with every human, does it mean you should? But now I know you better, I know that you’re more than just a horny goofball.” Steve shoved Bucky’s shoulder, “You’re also a blanket hog.” 

Bucky’s smile returned to its usual power and it was unfair.

“Ha ha,” Bucky said quietly, “You think I’m gorgeous.” 

“Shut it.” 


	6. Monday Continued

They watched TV and ate chips until their Chinese food arrived. Steve was falling asleep on the couch when he heard Bucky flop loudly onto his bed after leaving the bathroom. 

“God, your bed is comfy!” Steve heard from the other room. 

“Get off of that you animal! Just go home if you’re tired.” 

“I’m just snooping around my boyfriend’s place. Got to get to know him better. Need to be able to say how nice his sheets are should anyone ask.” 

“No one’s going to ask you about my sheets, that would be gross and wild,” Steve said as he pushed himself off the couch and leaned against the wide door frame that led into his room. He found Bucky rolled onto his stomach holding a piece of paper. His stomach dropped. 

Steve lunged forward and tried to grab the paper from his hands but Bucky rolled away too quickly. 

“What the hell kind of garbage is this?” Bucky laughed. “Twenty, that’s ridiculous!” 

“I know, just, can I have that please,” Steve tried grabbing it again but Bucky raised up to his knees and held it out of reach. 

“Then what’s this list then?” Bucky asked pointing at the names scribbled in the margins. 

“Oh my God, Buck, give me that.” Steve frantically tried to pull it from his hands but Bucky jumped up to his feet and stood suddenly, leaving Steve awkwardly kneeling in front of him. 

As they both realized the position, they had two very different reactions. Bucky’s was his typical wolfish grin accompanied by his eyebrows raising towards his eyeline, and Steve jumped backwards and fell off the bed. 

“This really is how you think? You think you have twenty chances to get it right, and you’ve already used them all up it seems.” Bucky’s tone was a little bit more serious than Steve expected. 

“No...Yes… I don’t know Buck. I mean, they did a study and all, but who knows. Life isn’t predictable. Right?” 

“Well, let’s hope this study is wrong or I’m FUCKED.” Bucky jumped off the bed and stepped so he was closer than he needed to be to Steve. He held the paper up but maintained eye contact with Steve. “I’ve gone way over my twenty, but I still have hope that the right one is out there for me. I’ve got a lot of love to give and I think I could make someone very happy.” 

Steve felt his blush start at his toes and work up his whole body. He didn’t want to let Bucky win, not today. He tried to open his mouth to release some witty comeback, but nothing came out. Instead he just breathed in louder than he wanted to. 

“Good night, Steve.” 

Bucky’s hand clapped Steve’s back and shook him from his trance. But it was like he was electrified and he was afraid to move in case he got a shock from touching something. Bucky let himself out of the apartment without looking back and Steve was still unmoved, basically panting in his spot. 

It took him a full minute before he collapsed onto his bed face first. Why did he believe this article. Maybe if he was just less of a jerk in general, stopped working all the time, and actually spoke to other humans he could fall in love. He lived next to Bucky for a year and had never taken the time to get to know him until he had to, and he already couldn’t imagine his life without him in it. As a friend. Steve told himself. Bucky was a great friend. Or at least it seemed like he would be if Steve could get his shit together and stop forgetting how to use words around him. Better yet, Steve would be a better friend if he stopped thinking about the way Bucky’s lips moved, of how soft his hair looked. Those things needed to stop. Bucky was just a friend doing him a favor. 

His phone buzzed and he saw a text from Bucky came in. 

**Bucky: Is that why you didn’t want your mom to set you up? Because you already went over your twenty and you didn’t want anyone new?**

**Steve: No! I don’t want my mom to set me up because that’s too pathetic for even me to handle.**

**Bucky: You know, I don’t judge you for this, eh? I think it’s really cute that you really care about finding love one day. Even though I have it on good authority that you were having all kinds of one-night-stands lately.**

**Steve: How would you even know that?!**

**Bucky: I met the lovely and sweet Sharon the other day in the elevator, and then I saw that tall guy leave the next morning when I got the paper. Not judging you for your hook ups. Sorry for you that neither of them weren’t the one. It seems important to you.**

**Steve: Those were just… I fucked up.**

**Bucky: I’m not familiar with that position, you’ll have to show me some time.**

Steve cackled out loud which caused him to lose his grip and drop his phone onto his face. 

**Steve: Thanks, Buck.**

**Bucky: You don’t need to be so hard on yourself Stevie. You’re a young, hot, sweet, hot, caring, hot, muscular, hot dude. You should be allowed to go have some fun.**

**Steve: And your vocabulary is outstanding.**

**Bucky: Thanks, so is your ass.**

**Steve: Wow.**

**Bucky: I’m good right?**

**Steve: I don’t know, are you?**

**Bucky: You’ll just have to wait and find out. Good night!**

Steve shook his head. Every time he tried to one up Bucky, he was the one who ended up blushing. Steve couldn’t sleep. Not yet. His skin was still tingling with the leftover electricity from earlier. He grabbed his sketchbook that he had made a special trip to go get and tried to doodle something he was planning for work. He tried to draw out the general outline for an ad, but every one of the guys in the picture ended up looking like Bucky. One had his fluffy hair, another had his scruffy beard, and then one had his signature smirk. Steve closed the sketch book and lay down. He had a couple of days of vacation still before the party, and he could already tell it was going to be a nightmare. If he was feeling like this now, how was he going to be when they had to kiss? 


	7. Tuesday

Steve lay restless in his bed. Tossing and turning until his legs were completely tangled in the sheets. He kicked them to the floor and lay with his eyes wide, staring at the ceiling. It felt like there were bugs crawling under his skin forcing him to keep moving. 

His legs made him stand on their own accord. And suddenly he found himself across the hall knocking on Bucky’s door at 3AM in the morning. He didn’t stop knocking until Bucky answered the door with one eye closed and the other half squinted, he had removed his sweaty and was standing there only in his low-slung sweatpants. He looked warm, fluffy, and soft, and suddenly Steve felt himself propelled forward, grabbing his face on either side and pulling Bucky in. Their lips connected softer than it originally felt like they would, but Steve’s tight grip pulled Bucky in closer and closer until their mouths were fighting for dominance. Steve finally released Bucky’s face, and realized that he had somehow ended up pressed up against him just inside the door. 

“Well, hello,” Bucky’s voice was groggy and he was struggling to catch his breath. 

“Hi,” Steve looked at Bucky’s lips, and couldn’t resist ducking his head in to grab a smooth and soft kiss. 

“What was that for?” Bucky asked as he ran his hand through Steve’s hair. 

“I just,” Steve rested his forehead against Bucky’s. As he did, the weird fog that had been surrounding him lifted, and all of his self doubt flooded back in. “I just really thought we should practice before the party.” 

“At 3AM.” Bucky stated, the smirk faded from his face. 

“Uhh, yeah. Sorry. I’ll go now. That was dumb. I could have waited, I just, uhh, I couldn’t sleep.” 

Steve scrambled to right his sweater and ran his hand through the same path that Bucky just had as he stepped back towards the door. 

“Okay.” Bucky’s tone was somewhere between confused and annoyed. 

Steve grabbed the door knob and dropped his head before turning it. 

“Hey Steve,” Bucky added, a smirk returning to his face, “that was super unfair.” 

Steve looked back at Bucky and saw his lips were red and his skin was flushed. It was the first time he’d seen him any kind of frazzled. 

“Good.” Steve smiled and walked back to his apartment. 


	8. Tuesday Continued

**Bucky: You owe me a coffee.**

Steve read the text when he woke up and felt his face flush. 

**Steve: I can’t imagine why.**

**Bucky: I think I can forgive you, but I need a favor.**

**Steve: What kind of a favor.**

**Bucky: Mind out of the gutter, Rogers, bring coffee and I’ll tell you.**

**Steve: Okay, give me ten minutes.**

Steve arrived exactly eight minutes later with coffee from the really good coffee shop across the street. Bucky opened the door with a wide grin and his same cozy clothes from the day before. Unfortunately, he had put his sweater back on. 

“I’m tired,” Bucky whined as he took a sip of the coffee. 

“I’m sure you slept like an angel,” Steve’s finger wiped the bit of coffee that had spilled onto the lip of his cup and sucked it off with his finger. He didn’t even notice he was doing it until he saw Bucky’s slack-jawed expression. 

Bucky cleared his throat and looked away as he ran a hand through his hair, not helping the fact that it was standing up in every direction. 

“So, remember how I said I had no one in town for Christmas? Well, my buddy just showed up and he’s asked me to come to his Christmas bar crawl.” 

“Oh,” Steve forced a grin on his face. “No problem, like I said, you really don’t have to come to the big party, I’ll just tell my mom you couldn’t make it. It’s not a big deal in the least.” 

“Wow,” Bucky laughed, “You are so dramatic.”

“No, I’m just saying it’s not a big deal!” 

“You big lug, the crawl is tonight. The favor I was going to ask is if you would come with me to keep me company. My buddy always goes way too hard at these things and he’s invited a bunch of people I don’t know, so it’d be nice to have a familiar face.” 

“Oh!” This time, Steve’s grin wasn’t forced. “Of course, Buck. I’d love to go.” 

Bucky stepped into Steve’s space, “Good. You owe me anyways so it’d be rude of you not to come.” 

Steve found his eyes drawn to Bucky’s lips, but didn’t move. 

“And one last thing,” Bucky swallowed nervously. “I may or may not have told my friend that you were my boyfriend.” 

“Why?” Steve laughed. 

“Well, I was trying to get out of it! Said I had the night all planned out already! He wouldn’t stop pestering me until I told him who the night was planned with. I panicked and said you. He didn’t believe that I had a friend named Steve because he never met you, so I had to to say that you were my new boyfriend.” 

“Would you look at that.” 

“What?” Bucky remained firmly planted in his position, but the way he tilted his head made his embarrassment much more clear than he probably realized. 

“You’re just as much of a disaster as I am,” Steve leaned in and kissed Bucky’s cheek softly. He heard Bucky breathe in as he did, so he held it longer than he planned. 

“Besides, it’ll be good practice right?” Bucky said after Steve finally backed away. 

“Absolutely! And I get to meet your friends. You know, it’s a big deal to meet your boyfriend’s friends. If they don’t like you there’s no hope.” 

“Well then you better be on your best behavior.” 

“I’ll do my best.” 

They agreed to meet back at Bucky’s place at nine, and Steve went back to his apartment. He found himself drawn to his sketchbook again, this time he didn’t bother trying to draw something for work. Instead, he allowed himself to draw the smirk that he couldn’t get out of his mind. 


	9. Tuesday Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops it got smutty... Sorry not Sorry!

“Who goes out on a pub crawl on a Tuesday,” Steve mumbled as Bucky pulled him into the elevator. 

“My idiot friends.” 

“I’m sleepy.” 

“Okay grandpa, we’ll get you to bed as early as possible.” 

Steve rested his head on Bucky’s shoulder without thinking. It was right there, and he wasn’t lying when he said he was sleepy. He had a restless night’s sleep, and he went for a really long run today. 

When the elevator doors opened, a man charged towards them with his hands up. Steve jumped back and out of the way, but Bucky caught him and gave him a big bear hug. 

“What’s up, Clint” Bucky patted Clint’s back and released his friend. They all walked out of the elevator, with Clint jumping to grab Bucky’s head and ruffling up his hair. 

“Introduce me! I need to make a good impression to your lover,” Clint straightened his shirt and stood up tall. 

“Too late,” Bucky rolled his eyes. “Steve, this is my idiot friend, Clint. Clint, this is Steve.” 

“Your boyfriend,” Clint added. 

“Yes,” Bucky’s eyes focused on Clint. 

“You’ve got a boyfriend,” Clint continued. 

“Yup.” Bucky reached out and laced his fingers with Steve’s. They were warm and soft and made Steve’s heart skip a beat. 

“Bucky -New York’s biggest playboy, no longer allowed in three states- Barnes has a boyfriend.” 

“He sure does,” Steve interjected and kissed Bucky on the cheek. 

“That’s adorable.” Clint put a hand to his eye and pretended to wipe away a tear. “You going to let him have fun anyways?” 

“I’m his boyfriend, not his babysitter.” 

“I like this one,” Clint had a devilish smirk too, but where Bucky’s made Steve’s knees weak, Clint’s just made him nervous. He started wishing he packed some kind of emergency bag. “First bar is the one just up the street, we’ll be meeting the gang all there.” 

“Ready?” Bucky asked, raising Steve’s hand to his lips and pressing a quick kiss to it. 

A strained “mmhmm” was all Steve could manage. 

They walked to the bar and Clint was basically a dog let off his leash. He was running around, jumping over trash cans, he even howled at a limo that seemed to contain a bachelorette party hanging out of the sunroof. 

“He’s…” Steve paused. 

“A nut,” Bucky answered. 

“But a good one, like a pistachio or something.” Steve brought his arm up around Bucky’s shoulders and pulled him close. He found himself kissing the side of Bucky’s head without even meaning to. It just felt natural. He could tell himself that it was all part of the show, but Clint was half a block away because he saw a pretzel cart and took off running. 

They arrive at the bar to find the rest of the gang already there waiting with pitchers of beer. Steve is introduced to the group but he can’t really keep track of everyone because there are simply too many. He sticks by Bucky for the most part, who talks to people and catches up with his friends with an easy charm about him. Steve gets along well with everyone, even though he can only remember about half of their names.

Steve’s sitting on a bar stool when Clint announces that it’s time to head to the next bar. All of Bucky’s friends start heading out, but Bucky just slips himself a step closer to Steve, pushing between his knees. He rests his hands low on his waist, one of them gripping Steve’s shirt tightly. 

“Having fun, Buck?” Steve asks, noticing Bucky’s eyes are already looking a little glassy. 

“I’m glad you’re here,” he replies, the hand not gripping his shirt moves down and rests on Steve’s thigh. 

“We should go keep up with the others,” Steve’s voice is low, and he feels frozen to his chair. 

“Okay,” Bucky says without moving. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” Clint yells from the door, snapping them both out of their intimate staring contest. 

Steve stands up, but Bucky barely moves, meaning their bodies are practically squeezed together. 

“Ready?” Bucky asks. 

Steve replies by grabbing his hand and tugging him out the door behind Clint’s excited jog. 

They arrive at the second location and it’s a much different feel. The first felt like your typical pub, with pool tables, pitchers, stools, and a jukebox that was not so loud that you couldn’t hear your own thoughts. This bar was basically the opposite. 

Steve could feel the bass-heavy music in his chest, and he couldn’t hear a word Clint was saying but waved when he headed towards the bar. He saw Bucky’s mouth moving, but he couldn’t hear what he was saying. He tilted his head to the side like a confused puppy, but then Bucky leaned in right to Steve’s ear and repeated himself. 

“This place is nuts, I am surprised they let Clint back in!” 

Bucky motioned that he was going to go get them drinks, and Steve spotted some of the group on the dance floor and decided to join them. 

He was greeted by Scott and Wanda, two of the names he could actually remember, having some kind of hilarious dance battle on the floor. They seemed to be challenging each other with the most ridiculous dance moves possible. They saw Steve watching and both pointed at him and waited. Steve wasn’t sure what to do at first, but then luckily, Jump On It came on. He knew what to do, and as he thrusted his hips to the beat, both Wanda and Scott joined in laughed. 

Bucky arrived with drinks in hand and laughed at the ridiculous sight he saw. He joined in and as the song transitioned into some other retro hits, they all tried out a bunch of their classic moves. There were sprinklers, shopping carts, running man challenges, and more, but then the song slowed down. 

The laughter the little group was sharing slowed, and Scott offered his hand to Wanda and began to tango across the floor dramatically. Bucky held his hand out, slightly sweaty from all the dancing and pulled Steve in tight. Their heads were touching and they were both still breathing hard, but as the song continued, they settled into each other. Bucky’s hand drew shapes across Steve’s back, and Steve rested his chin on Bucky’s shoulder. The whole thing was almost too much, but then as if out of nowhere, Clint jumped up and circled them both with his arms and scream-sang the romantic power ballad from the eighties. 

Bucky’s fingers once again found Steve’s and even though he was joining in Clint’s ridiculous singing, he was rubbing his thumb on Steve’s and giving him goosebumps.

After that, the group seemed to lose a few members, including Scott and Wanda who stayed behind at the retro dance party because they were having too much fun. The next stop was a jazz club across the street, and they all went in with their energy a bit too high. Clint quickly learning that his bouncy nature was not appreciated here. 

Bucky took a seat in a large booth in the corner, dragging Steve in with with. He hadn’t let go of his hand since they left the last place. They ordered some beer, and Bucky draped his arm over Steve’s shoulders and pulled Steve until he was leaning back on him so they could watch the band play. 

A woman in a beautiful sequin dress took the stage as the house band continued to play, and when she sang it was absolutely breathtaking. It even shut up Clint who had been whining from the other side of the booth. 

Clint’s distraction only lasted a moment, before he pulled out his phone. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve noticed Clint holding his phone up with a goofy grin on his face. Bucky’s phone lit up and Steve saw it was a message from Clint. Bucky clicked it still on the table and Steve was able to see that it was a photo of them. 

Steve could feel Bucky’s smile against the top of his head. He couldn’t see the picture super well from the angle he was at, but he nestled his way even closer to Bucky and listened to the rest of the song. 

Clint chugged his drink and forced them both to do the same, saying they had to get moving to the next club. 

Steve was starting to really drag his feet and because Bucky wouldn’t let go of his hand, they were falling behind. 

“Bedtime grandpa?” Bucky asked. 

“No, I’m okay. It’s just a nice little break between the loud.” 

Bucky nodded and walked even slower. “Let’s take our time.” 

They strolled slowly and quietly, occasionally catching each other’s eye and chuckling. Steve wondered if it was weird how comfortable he already felt with Bucky. They had this natural chemistry that made walking in silence somehow the most satisfying thing. Being fake boyfriends with him was almost too easy. It was like it just felt right to him. 

“Ready for this one? It’s going to be loud.” Bucky turned to Steve as they got to the entrance, the loud music exploding from the door as it opened of another person heading in before them. 

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” 

Steve ran into Clint in the bathroom, having headed there as soon as they arrived. In the hall before they went back out, Clint pulled out his phone and asked for Steve’s number. Steve was confused but put it in his phone anyways, only to immediately receive a text message with the photo that he saw on Bucky’s phone. It was an adorable picture. Steve was looking forward, watching the band. Bucky’s arm wrapped around him, pulling him close. But the best part was the look Bucky was giving him. While Steve was watching the singer, Bucky was watching him. The look was too much for Steve to handle. 

He gave Clint a thumbs up and followed him back out to the dance floor. Steve was overwhelmed by the number of people, and especially by how fast Clint seemed to bounce off into the crowd. He suddenly felt very alone for the first time all night. That was until he saw Bucky. 

Bucky was dancing just inside the crowd, sweat already forming on his forehead. He was smiling with his friends and bouncing up and down. As the music changed, so did the movements, and now they were definitely a little bit more distracting for Steve. He couldn’t help but notice the way Bucky moved his hips. Or how he bit his lip. Or how he threw his head back when he laughed. Bucky caught Steve looking at him, and narrowed his eyes. He curled his finger to draw Steve to him, and Steve felt his body moving without his permission. 

He arrived in front of Bucky without really knowing how, but his daze seemed to clear as Bucky’s hands landed on his hips. The music was not anything Steve recognized, but the beat was good and his hips started moving in conjunction with Bucky’s. They were close, and the growing number of people on the dance floor pushed them closer and closer together until there was absolutely no space between them. Steve nearly groaned when Bucky’s leg ended up between his. He nearly cried when Bucky started grinding on his thigh. He could have screamed when Bucky’s nose touched his as they danced. 

Bucky grabbed Steve’s hands and place them on his own hips, and then turned himself around, until his back was tight against Steve’s chest. That’s what Steve tried to focus on, and not the ass grinding into his groin. He was desperately trying not to get hard in the middle of the dance floor, but nothing about what Bucky was doing was making that easy. 

Steve inhaled Bucky’s scent; he smelled like sandalwood and sweat--he really liked it. Steve’s lips were ghosting over Bucky’s ear when Bucky’s head dropped back onto Steve’s shoulder. Steve could see Bucky’s mouth was hanging open, panting with his eyes closed. 

“Buck,” Steve’s voice was nothing short of a growl, “We should go.” 

Bucky spun back around and faced Steve. They were nose to nose, and Bucky’s hips kept moving even though Steve stood frozen. He saw Bucky swallow and lick his lips. 

“You sleepy, grandpa?” Bucky asked, his tone playful but his eyes were saying something else. 

“Nope,” Steve popped the letters and let his hand wander from Bucky’s hip to his lower back, dipping lower to his ass, gripping it tightly. 

There were so many people around them, but it felt like they were completely alone. Bucky’s eyes lit up before darting up and down between Steve’s focused gaze and his lips. Steve couldn’t resist it anymore, he launched his face down to Bucky and kissed him like he meant it. They both were grabbing at each other, hands moving up each others backs, Steve’s hand remained gripped on Bucky’s ass, while one of Bucky’s tangled itself in Steve’s hair and pulled his face even closer. 

Bucky was the one who licked Steve’s lower lip, asking for entrance. Steve happily granted it and as he did, his hand moved down Bucky’s thigh to his knee, which he grabbed and lifted up. This move made Bucky gasp, and made Steve throw his head back. As he did, the song switched and they were shoved by some strangers on the dance floor by accident. Realizing where they were, Steve moved his hand out from Bucky’s knee and back up to his hip. 

“Home. Now.” Steve demanded. 

Bucky turned, waved at Clint who was dancing on a speaker, and led them out of the club. They made it about two buildings before Steve pulled Bucky's arm, pushed him up against the side of a building, and crowded around him. 

“You really know how to dance,” Steve’s voice was low, almost a whisper. It was almost hard to hear after a night of such loud music. 

“You too.” Bucky lips met Steve’s but before they could get too into it, they heard a woman ask them to move because they were standing in front of her apartment door. 

They laughed, apologized, and practically ran home. When they were at crosswalks, they kissed softly. When they walked, they had their hands intertwined, or wrapped around each other. It was when they made it to the elevator that they started to bring the heat back to their kisses. Bucky’s hands wandered up the back up Steve’s shirt, his cold fingers making Steve hiss and slap at his arms. 

Bucky laughed and tucked his face into Steve’s neck, nibbling at it before rubbing his cold nose against him. This once again earned him a little slap. 

Steve retaliated by lifting Bucky up by his knees and slammed him into the elevator walls with himself situated right between his legs. Bucky moaned at the contact, and Steve no longer tried to keep his composure. He trailed sloppy kisses down Bucky’s pulse point, and licked his way back up to his jaw. He bit along the sharp edge when the elevator dinged. As the doors opened, he put Bucky down, and turned and walked away, leaving Bucky panting and stunned. 

Steve made it to his door with his key in the lock before Bucky caught up and slammed his chest up against the door while Bucky licked along Steve’s ear. Bucky pressed his hips forward, into Steve's ass, leaving Steve breathless and struggling to turn the key in his lock. 

“Buck, if you don’t stop right now, we’re going to end up doing this in the hall.” 

“Maybe that’s what I want?” Bucky teased but slowed his thrusting ever so slightly and helped Steve open the door. 

They stepped in and now suddenly it all seemed very real. Steve felt cold in his shirt, having been sweaty at the club and then cold out in the winter air. Or maybe it was because this was the first time all night his body wasn’t pressed up against Bucky’s. 

“Maybe we should slow down,” Bucky tried to sound reasonable, but his voice was raspier than usual and his normally light blue eyes were basically dark circles. 

“Maybe,” Steve shrugged, “Or…” 

With that Bucky marched towards him with a determination that Steve was sure would either end in his death or his ultimate satisfaction. Their lips met in a rough kiss and Steve’s hands found their way to Bucky’s ass, once again yanking him up and allowing Bucky to wrap his legs around him. Steve leaned Bucky against the wall by the door and worked on removing Bucky’s coat. He pulled his own off as well, unsure how they managed to do it without Bucky lowering back to the floor, but their lips connected again and Steve didn’t care anymore. 

Steve’s hands made their way inside Bucky’s shirt, feeling up his strong torso and groping at his chest. He started trying to open the shirt buttons but became impatient. Bucky could tell, and slapped Steve’s hands away and yanked the shirt off over his head. 

“I can’t have you ripping off all my buttons, I like that shirt,” Bucky’s voice was wrecked at this point. He was panting, raspy, and yet somehow still a tease. 

“Well, how do you feel about those pants then, because if they aren’t off in exactly two seconds they are getting shredded.” 

Steve put Bucky down onto the floor so he could unzip his pants and practically jump out of them. As he stood back up, he lifted Steve’s t-shirt off of him and unbuttoned his pants. Steve grabbed Bucky’s hands as they went for the fly, and pushed him gently back to the wall. He lowered himself to his knees in front of him and ran his nose up his thigh to where Bucky’s underwear was tenting up high. 

Steve heard Bucky moan and so he placed a kiss on his covered length. Bucky moaned louder. So Steve kissed it again, this time moving slower. Bucky was squirming too much, so Steve rested his arm against Bucky’s hips and held him in place. He used his other hand to drag the underwear down Bucky’s legs and let it pool at his ankles. He was eye to eye with Bucky’s erection and he felt like it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. He gave gentle kisses to the base of it, nestling his nose into the curls. Then he slowly licked from the base all the way to the tip and then back down the other side. Bucky was looking down at him in awe, and when Steve looked up and met his eyes, Bucky bit his lower lip and groaned loudly. Steve took this opportunity to place a gentle kiss to the very tip of his penis, and then lick the bead of liquid that had formed at his slit. 

Bucky was basically gasping for air now, and he reached up and pulled his own hair. His muscled arms held his head back as his chest rose and fell to the rhythm that made Steve feel in control. Steve loved the way Bucky’s biceps tightened as he tugged on his own hair, but when Steve took Bucky into his mouth in earnest, he was thrilled that Bucky’s hands made their way onto either side of his head instead. 

Bucky wasn’t pushing or pulling Steve, simply following him at first, keeping his hands threaded into Steve’s hair. As they did, Steve moaned onto Bucky’s hard length, and pulled him in even further. Bucky tried not to yell but he was moaning much louder than Steve expected him too. 

Steve pulled back and looked up at Bucky as his hand went to jerk him slowly, “You’re a screamer aren’t you?” 

Bucky threw his head back and let out something between a pant and a laugh before thrusting into Steve’s hand. 

“You’ll just have to wait and find out, won’t you?” 

“Oh, I intend on it.” Steve’s mouth joined his hand and he started bobbing his head much quicker.

He felt Bucky’s hands tighten in his hair, trying to slow him down but Steve refused. He just kept pushing himself further and further, swallowing Bucky completely. 

“Steve, babe, you’ve gotta stop.” Bucky whined. 

Steve loved that. He had already reduced the oh so confident Bucky Barnes to a whiney mess and they hadn’t even left the front hall. 

He relented his attack and gave Bucky’s length a few slow kisses and licks. Bucky’s breathing returned to a more normal state, but he stood there completely naked, gawking at Steve down on his knees. 

“Why aren’t you naked?” Bucky asked, tugging Steve up to his feet before slamming their mouths together. His hands pushed Steve’s pants down and they started to stumble out of their remaining clothes and make their way to the bedroom, their lips never leaving each other. 

The back of Bucky’s knees hit the bed and he fell backward, pulling Steve on top of him. When Steve landed, they could each feel the other thick and hard against their hips. They began thrusting against each other, the wetness leaking out of their tips dripping onto their stomachs. 

“I don’t know what I want to do to you first,” Bucky whined again, one hand pulling Steve’s face close and the other gripping Steve’s ass and pulling his hips down. 

Bucky’s babbling opened up his neck and Steve took full advantage of that, biting, licking, and kissing his way down the sharp jawline and over his pulse point. He may have sucked a bit too hard, seeing a red mark pop up, but he didn’t even care anymore. His kisses trailed down Bucky’s chest until he reached his nipples where he stopped to suck each and play with them with his tongue. Bucky just watched with a stunned expression on his face. 

“Who even are you? This is really not what I expected from Steve Rogers.” Bucky’s hips where thrusting but they weren’t actually reaching Steve anymore since he slid off to the side to continue his assault on Bucky’s chest. 

“So you were thinking about what sex with me would be like?” Steve tried to smirk, but he was far too distracted to keep up the appearance. 

“Of course I did!” Bucky laughed. “Pretty much every day since I moved in here. You’re the hottest guy in the building, probably even the city. What else am I supposed to think about in the shower?” 

Steve’s nails dragged along Bucky’s abs and then dipped over his cock, gripping it firmly but not moving even though he so desperately wanted to see what Bucky looked like as he came right this very moment. 

Steve swallowed hard at the thought of Bucky touching himself in the shower. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine it, and then realized he didn’t have to. 

“Show me,” he ordered, backing off from Bucky, straddling his knees. 

“So unexpected!” Bucky replied, his hand rushing his cock as if there were a magnet pulling it there. “I would stand in my shower, and jack off real fast, imagining what you would be like. When you came by last night, I thought I was dreaming at first. But then when you left, my cock was so hard it hurt that I figured it couldn’t be a dream. I had to make myself come twice before I could fall back asleep.” 

Steve’s hands ran up and down his own thighs. He was itching to join Bucky in his motions, but this was about watching him right now. He had to stay strong. 

“Like I said though, you’re so much better than I imagined. I thought you’d be such a good fuck, but I thought you’d be, well a bit more vanilla I guess. I didn’t expect to get humped on a dance floor tonight, I’ll tell you that much.” Bucky’s thumb ran over his slit and collected the moisture from it. Steve grabbed Bucky’s wrist and brought his hand to his mouth, sucking his thumb clean. 

“For fuck sakes, Steve, are you trying to kill me?” 

Bucky’s eyes slammed shut and his other hand gripped tight around the base of his dick. Steve released the thumb with a pop. He returned Bucky’s hand to his cock and encouraged him to keep moving. Bucky resisted for a moment, still pinching himself tightly with the opposite hand, clearly not ready to release yet. Steve leaned off the bed and reached into the top drawer of his bedside table, returning with a bottle of lube. 

He started by squeezing a drop onto Bucky’s cock, increasing the slide for his own hand. The noise that escaped Bucky’s lips was positively sinful. 

Bucky could hold it anymore, he started rocking his hips and thrusting into his hand hard and when he came, he reached out for Steve’s hand. 

Steve grabbed his hand, but took Bucky's cock in the other, helping to milk out everything he had. The slippery lube remaining mixed with Bucky’s come and Steve loved the feeling of it on his hand. He kissed Bucky deeply as he reached back for a tissue. He wiped Bucky’s stomach clean and pulled Bucky up to his knees to meet him. They faced each other, both on their knees, entire bodies touching. Steve kissed Bucky again, this time slow and gentle. 

“You done?” He asked quietly, Bucky’s eyes fluttering shut as Steve’s warm breath hit his ear. 

“Not even close. What else you got?” Bucky teased. Steve wanted to show him, so he manhandled him until his face was flat on the bed and his ass was up high in the air. Bucky moaned and thrusted at nothing, his ass wiggling in the air. 

Steve’s teeth bit on each of Bucky’s cheeks gently, and with a single finger coated in lube he paused at Bucky’s entrance. He waited, asking silently for permission, but Bucky refused to be silent. 

“GO ALREADY!” He yelled pushing back onto Steve’s finger. 

Steve laughed and pushed in past the rim with his thick fingers and felt the warmth and tightness of Bucky and almost lost it right there. His eyes fluttered shut as he felt Bucky squirm and whimper below, quietly begging for more. If Bucky wanted more, he would give him more. If Bucky asked for the moon right now, he’d jump into a spaceship and go get it. 

Steve reached over, grabbed the bottle and added more lube before pressing a second finger in. The wrecked moan they both let out in unison was followed by the sound of Steve’s slick fingers sliding in and out of Bucky’s hole. It was sloppy and perfect and Steve was so hard he could barely breathe he just wanted to make Bucky lose his mind. 

He didn’t know when it happened because he had been so distracted, but Bucky was back at full erection. His cock was leaking onto the blankets below in a messy puddle. Bucky leaned back onto Steve’s fingers, pushing them further into him and hitting him right where he needed it. He cried out loudly, Steve became instantly obsessed with that sound. So he pushed again and again, until he could hit that spot every single time. 

Bucky was losing it below him, and when Steve added a third finger and started kissing his cheeks, he arched his back like a cat and cried out Steve’s name. Steve pulled his fingers out much to the disappointment of Bucky, but his tongue started to lick across the cheeks and move inward. He heard Bucky’s breath catch and he waited. 

“Can I?” He asked patiently, his soaked fingers reaching through Bucky’s legs and gripping his cock. 

“Yes, yes, yes, yes, ohmygod, yes” Bucky babbled incoherently. Steve chuckled and started to kiss his way down Bucky’s spine until he reached his goal. 

The rim was already loosened from his stretching, and he placed a kiss around the entire thing before he pressed his tongue hard into the hole making Bucky press his face into the blankets and scream. 

“I knew it,” Steve whispered before lapping at the hole with a flat tongue. 

“Steve,” Bucky whimpered, “Will you please fuck me?” 

“Mhm.” Steve replied with his tongue twirling around the edge of the hole. 

“Like, now?” Bucky begged, his hips once again thrusting forward giving him leverage to push back against Steve’s tongue. 

“MMM” Steve hummed as his lips surrounded the hole. He brought the fingers back up to the hole and made sure he could still get the three of them in easily and then started pumping them in and out while his tongue danced along the top edge of the rim. 

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST STEVIE!” Bucky cried out, his head thrown back with no care in the world how loud he was being. 

“Okay, okay,” Steve backed off and grabbed a condom from the drawer and placed it on before lubing up his cock with a few slow stokes. He felt his hips snap into his hand, and only realized then how much he was desperate for any touch. He didn’t think he could last long right now, not after what he had been up to. Bucky wasn’t wrong, this was kind of unlike Steve. He didn’t always go this hard, not all at once. But something about Bucky made him want to put it all out there. 

Steve flipped Bucky onto his back and kissed him deeply as he thrust their cocks together. He grabbed his and lined it up with Bucky’s hole and pressed slowly, enjoying the feeling of Bucky stretch around him. Bucky’s head was tilted all the way back as his body accommodated Steve’s length. Steve took this as an opportunity to place sloppy kisses up and down his neck that gave Bucky goosebumps. 

Bucky grew impatient with Steve’s lack of movement and shoved his feet into the bed and thrust himself upward. Steve gasped and they made eye contact. 

“Move. Now.” Bucky growled. 

Steve reacted instantly and jammed his hips down into Bucky and in no short span of time, they were like a jackhammer just pushing each other as far as they could go. Bucky looked completely destroyed, and Steve was loving every second of it. His hand found Bucky’s cock and started to slide it up and down in conjunction with his hips and Bucky leaned forward and bite onto Steve’s shoulder to stop himself from screaming any more. Steve loved the whimpers he could hear, so he started rocking his hips in a circular motion, hitting that magic spot deep within Bucky each time. Bucky’s cock responded with an explosive burst that was matched by Bucky’s loud cry. 

Steve felt Bucky tighten around him and with that he found himself spilling himself into Bucky while stars burst in his eyes. He pulled out gently and flopped down beside Bucky who was panting and coming down slowly, with come splattered over his tight stomach. 

“That was,” 

“No kidding,” 

“I want to do that more,” Bucky cleared his throat.

“Right now?” Steve laughed. 

“Not  _ right _ now, but like, give me a minute.” 

Steve got a washcloth for Bucky and cleaned him off gently, and went to the washroom to get all cleaned up himself. When he came back, Bucky was fast asleep, with all the blankets pulled around him. 

Steve smiled and felt warm as he slid in behind Bucky, joining him in his pile of blankets and wrapped his arms around him. He knew that tomorrow would be a weird day, they had to talk all this stuff out probably, but for now, for now he could just enjoy it. 


	10. Wednesday

Steve woke up to the sound of quick thumping running across his kitchen. He sat up, squinting in the bright room and looked out of his bedroom door to see a blurry figure running back and forth. Dragging his blanket with him, Steve pulled himself out of bed to see what the commotion was about. 

“Babe, can you find my other shoe? I’m going to run to my place and grab a clean pair of underwear!” Bucky yelled as he ran out of the apartment shirtless, holding a sheet around his waist.

Steve couldn’t help but smile as he saw Bucky throw the sheet off himself as soon as he got into his apartment, his bare backside visible as he disappeared out of view. Bucky was back over in seconds, mostly clothed, jumping on one foot as he attempted to get his socks on. 

“Find it?” He asked frantically. 

Tossing the shoe over, Bucky caught it and threw it on his foot. “I’m SO late for work it’s ridiculous! I was supposed to be there twenty minutes ago. I’ll call you tonight okay? I just have a short shift, you should stay in bed all day and I’ll pick up pizza on my way home!” 

Steve didn’t have time to say a word because Bucky had already run out of the house, leaving him standing with a goofy smile on his face, wrapped in his fluffy duvet. He stood staring at the closed door, hearing Bucky’s steps make it to the elevator door, but then turn around quickly. He burst through the door and stomped right up to Steve and grabbed him on either side of his face, pulling him in until their lips met in a warm kiss. Steve didn’t even have time to grab Bucky back before the elevator dinged, causing Bucky to pull back and run out the door to catch it. 

There may as well have been little birds circling Steve’s head or hearts in his eyes because he felt like he was completely dazed. He flopped onto his couch, and closed his eyes, letting himself relive his last 24 hours over a few times. He thought back to their 3AM kiss, their dance floor debauchery, and their incredible night. But the part that made him feel the blush rise to his cheeks every time was Bucky frantically running around his apartment in a sheet and calling him ‘Babe’. 

After dozing on the couch for an hour, Steve got up, showered, and grabbed his blankets and sheets off the bed and threw them in the laundry machine. After tidying his apartment for a bit, he sat down with his sketchbook, briefly checking his phone first. He noticed the text from Clint from the night before and spent longer than he’d like to admit staring at that picture. He was so excited for Bucky to come back. The look in Bucky’s eyes in that picture did something to him. In all honesty, Bucky himself just did something to him. 

Hours passed, and for once, Steve wasn’t drawn to his work. Normally, his days off consisted of him looking over his projects and trying to catch up on emails. Instead Steve found himself drawn to his sketchbook and when the only thing he found himself doodling was a pair of intense eyes he dragged himself to the kitchen. He found a cake mix and started preparing it. 

He had just finished decorating it with his homemade buttercream icing when he heard a knock on the door. He rushed over with the spatula in his hand to find Bucky with a large pizza and a big smile. 

“Oh honey, I’m home!” Bucky’s cheesy grin was warm and Steve laughed. 

“How was work?” Steve asked as he moved out of the way, returning to his cake to finish off his decor. Bucky followed him, placing the pizza on the counter. 

“Did you make me a cake?” His hands clasping under his chin like a prayer. 

“Chocolate cake with buttercream icing,” Steve said before putting the spatula down. 

When he went to put the bowl in the sink he noticed he had a bit of icing on his thumb. As he lifted his hand to his mouth to lick it off he noticed Bucky’s intense gaze watching him. Steve couldn’t help but make a show of it, sucking his thumb into his mouth and closing his eyes with a hum. Bucky was in his space before Steve could even open his eyes, his mouth latching onto his neck. 

“I thought we were eating pizza, Buck?” Steve giggled as Bucky found a particularly ticklish spot. 

“Well, we will. But then you went and did that so now I need to do this,” Bucky’s hands reached around Steve and gripped him at the top of his thighs and lifted him onto the counter, managing to just barely miss the cake’s resting place. 

Bucky crowded Steve, slotting himself between his knees and attacked Steve’s mouth with his own. Bucky sucked Steve’s tongue in an absolutely sinful way that Steve would argue should be illegal. It took almost no time at all before Steve felt himself straining painfully against his jeans. 

“Why are you wearing pants?” Bucky mumbled as he kissed down Steve’s body.

Bucky kissed his way back up Steve’s body following the path of Steve’s shirt as he removed it. Tossing the shirt aside Bucky realized how close they were to the cake and dipped his finger into the frosting. He held it up to Steve who devoured it hungrily. Bucky’s gasp was exactly what Steve hoped for. 

“I bet I know something that tastes even better,” Bucky’s voice was low as he pulled his finger from Steve’s mouth resulting in a pop before unbuttoning Steve’s pants and reaching in to free Steve from his restraining fabric. 

Bucky dropped down to his knees in front of Steve, taking him into his mouth in one quick motion. Steve frantically gripped to his counters for some kind of tether to the physical world because he felt like his spirit was being ripped out of his body. He could almost imagine it, his own spirit watching it from above, completely shocked that something like this would happen to him. He almost made himself laugh at the thought but then Bucky did something with his tongue that brought him back into enjoying his physical body too much to care about anything else. 

Relentless. That was all Steve could think as Bucky swallowed him down, licked the tip, and sucked hard over and over in a rhythm that felt like Bucky was reading his mind. He couldn’t hang on much longer, but when he tried to put his hands in Bucky’s hair and gently tug him off, Bucky just doubled down. Relentless, Steve thought once again, giving a final warning tug to Bucky, looking down at the image between his legs. Bucky looked up to meet Steve’s eyes, winking devilishly, and that was enough to cause Steve to spill into Bucky’s mouth with a loud cry. 

Bucky didn’t rush up, gently kissing Steve’s thighs and his softening cock as he tucked it back into his underwear. He kissed his way back up Steve’s naked torso and then gave him a quick peck on the lips before stepping back to where he put the pizza down. He grabbed a slice of it and took a big bite with a grin that made Steve even weaker in the knees than he already felt. Bucky swaggered back over to Steve and held the piece of pizza up to his lips, allowing Steve to take a bite. 

“Good?” Bucky asked as he took another bite. 

“Babe, you have no idea.” Steve laughed. He jumped off the counter and grabbed his shirt off the floor and put it back on. He could see Bucky adjusting himself in his pants and was desperate to help him out, but apparently Bucky needed a snack break first. 

“So,” Bucky stripped off his heavy sweater, pulling it over his head and throwing it on the couch before flopping beside it in his t-shirt, “How was your day?”

Steve joined him, bringing the pizza with him. “Great. I woke up to a crazy naked man running around in my house so how could it be anything but?” 

Bucky laughed before he pulled Steve’s leg up on the couch, situated himself with his back to Steve between his legs and leaned back on him as if he were a pillow. Steve found his free hand drawn to Bucky’s hair and started stroking back his shaggy waves. From the angle he couldn’t really see his face but he felt the tension release from his shoulders and could swear Bucky’s head followed his hand. 

“I was so late for work. I was surprised I didn’t get in more trouble. I think my boss pitied me when I showed up with two left feet.” 

Bucky lifted his legs up so his shoes were visible to Steve who couldn’t help but laugh. He must have grabbed one of Steve’s shoes, because they were both the left shoe. They weren’t even the same colour. Bucky kicked the shoes off and let them fall to the floor with a thud before nestling himself into Steve’s chest and finishing off his pizza. 

***

They took their time eating and snuggling, all while Steve continued petting Bucky’s hair. There was a comfortable silence when they each finished their last slice, and Steve couldn’t help but notice the way Bucky’s head had drifted to the side leaving his pulse point open for attack. He leaned his body in as much as he could and latched on resulting in a shocked gasp from Bucky. 

“No rest for the wicked, I see?” He smirked. 

“Well, I wouldn’t want to pack on the pounds before Christmas,” Steve said with a few kisses to Bucky’s exposed neck. “I can’t have the family thinking that I’ve let myself go and that I don’t deserve such a sexy boyfriend.” 

Steve caught himself at that word. He hadn’t really thought of how this would affect their whole fake boyfriend scheme. Was Bucky going to actually just be his boyfriend now? He cleared his throat and tried to play it off. 

“I have to get my workout in so I can justify that cake later.” He finished the sentence with a bite right where Bucky’s neck met his shoulders. He really liked hearing the hitch in Bucky’s breath when he did that. He’s going to remember that spot. 

“You know,” Bucky rolled himself over, bringing his face right over Steve’s and both of his arms on either side of his head. “It’s me who has to meet the family’s expectations right? How am I supposed to be good enough for their smart...sweet...creative...caring...wonderful Steve?” He punctuated each descriptor with a quick kiss to the edges of Steve’s mouth. Steve couldn’t help but chase Bucky’s lips with his own, always missing him but a fraction of a second. 

Steve was surprised by Bucky’s description of him, and felt his traitorous blush starting to rise by the kind words. 

“Not to mention,” Bucky continued with a lingering kiss on his lips, slow enough for Steve to actually catch him this time, “He’s a total fucking babe.” 

Steve’s laugh escaped his throat loudly, and with an arm wrapped around Bucky he sat up, forcing him to straddle his lap. Their lips rejoined as the reached their seated position and both let out a deep moan as their hips started to grind together. 

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you all damn day, Buck,” Steve’s words sounded desperate as he gripped the back of Bucky’s jeans by the pockets and forced him to press even harder into his lap. 

“And what were you thinking about?” Bucky rocked slowly, following Steve’s guiding push. 

“The taste of your tongue, the sharp angle of your jaw, the arch in your back when I pressed into you, and that evil little smile you have on right now.” 

For one it wasn’t Steve who was blushing. He could feel it under his hands as he tucked them up into Bucky’s shirt. He trailed them up higher and higher until he could rip the shirt over Bucky’s head. Bucky couldn’t help but moan as Steve leaned forward to lick at his erect nipples. 

“I could still feel your lips all over me when you were gone. It was like they tattooed my skin. I took a shower earlier and when I saw all the marks you left on me, the reminders of our night, I almost couldn’t handle it.” 

Bucky just whined above him, letting out little grunts as he continued writhing around on his lap, still trapped in his work pants. 

“I tried to wait, I knew you’d be back and I wanted to be good and wait for you. But I couldn’t think about anything but you and your perfect mouth. The cold shower I took couldn’t even stop me Buck. As soon as I got out and saw those little marks again I couldn’t stop myself from getting off. I came yelling your name, thinking about how excited I was for you to come home to me tonight. Did you miss me today?” 

Bucky whined and nodded his head, his own hand pressing hard onto his tented pants, revealing a wet spot. 

“I can’t believe I get to take you to a luxury hotel this weekend. I’m going to fuck you on every surface of that room, you got that? I made a call and got us a suite on the top floor. I’m going to push you against that window and fuck you while you watch the city below. They may not be able to see you that high up, but you know they would want to with how pretty you look with my cock in you. Do you have any idea how you look right now. You’re a mess and I haven’t even touched you yet.” 

“Please,” was all Bucky could get out. A quiet plea from a desperate man was all it took for Steve to stand up with Bucky’s legs wrapped around his waist. He let Bucky grind against him for a moment longer before he tapped his legs so he would stand. Steve didn’t hesitate to pull Bucky’s pants off and his own, removing his shirt at the same time. He immediately grabbed Bucky again, pulling him up and letting his legs wrap around his waist once more. He walked to the wall and pushed Bucky into it, leaning back slightly to admire Bucky’s flushed tip that was leaking heavily. 

“I don’t know what to do first,” Steve pulled them off the wall and walked over to his bed covered in fresh sheets and fluffy blankets and placed him down gently beneath him.

Bucky’s legs remained tight around Steve’s waist and kept him pulled close to his body. Steve couldn’t even reach between them to get a hand on Bucky’s cock even though he so desperately wanted to. Bucky just kept humping into Steve, the wet tip sliding against his abs, rubbing against Steve’s own erection. 

“Bucky, what do you want right now?” 

Bucky couldn’t even answer, his thrusts started pushing harder and when Steve forced his hips down and started to return the motion, Bucky let out a low grunt and spilled onto his own stomach. 

Steve rolled off of him, resting on his side and looked at the mess he caused on Bucky’s stomach. He dragged a finger through the substance and pulled it into his mouth, just as he had done with the icing earlier. Bucky watched, panting and slack jawed, biting his lower lip into his mouth in silence. 

“Please tell me we’re not done yet?” Bucky panted. 

“Well, you did say no rest for the wicked, right?” Steve leaned in and pressed his lips against Bucky’s in a gentle and heartfelt kiss. 


	11. Thursday

The sun was bright in Steve’s eye but when he tried to move his arm to cover it, he realized it wasn’t responding. Looking down, he saw a bunch of tangled brown hair was weighing down his arm enough for it to go completely numb. He couldn’t help but smile as he rolled towards the warm body, using his free and functional arm to tug Bucky even closer. His grumbles were muted by Steve’s chest as he held Bucky as close as he could. 

“Mornin’” Steve whispered into Bucky’s temple, complete with a gentle kiss. 

All he received in return was an incoherently gruff groan followed by a nuzzle into his neck. That was enough for him. 

Steve was excited to spend the weekend with Bucky, but there was a little bit of an issue in the fact that their formerly fake relationship seems to have taken a very real turn. Sure, they may have gotten all hot and bothered when they were acting for his friends, but there was nothing fake about that connection. No one could deny that. Well, at least he hoped no one could. Specifically Bucky. Steve’s arms tightened around Bucky, desperate to feel every inch of him against his body. 

As the pins and needles started to dance across his half-numb arm, he gentle rolled Bucky back to the other side of the bed and slipped his arm out as carefully as he could. Shaking it out as he made his way to the bathroom, Steve accidentally slapped both of their cellphones off the edge of his dresser. 

Picking up both phones and tossing them back up onto the dresser without much thought, he couldn’t help but notice the screens light up. The lock screens on both of their phones showed multiple missed notifications after their evening in bed, but he couldn’t help but spot half of one message on Bucky’s phone. 

_“Can’t wait for next time babe <3 xox.” _

Flipping both phones face down, Steve proceeded to the bathroom. It wasn’t just the morning breath that left a sour taste in his mouth. Throwing on a worn t-shirt with his favourite jeans, Steve made his way to the kitchen to begin cooking breakfast, but his brain couldn’t help but return to those words that crossed Bucky’s phone screen. 

The bacon just finished cooking when Bucky’s bedheadded figure emerged from the other room with his phone in his hand. All the air left the room as Bucky started to look down at the screen. Steve studied Bucky, waiting for any reaction to resolve that twisted feeling in his gut. Bucky’s brows pulled in close and he bit onto his bottom lip. 

“Babe,” Bucky’s voice boomed out of the silence, forcing a breath into Steve’s lungs. 

“Mhm?” Steve shoved a piece of bacon in his mouth to cover up his gasp. 

“Are we a real couple now? Like, for realsies, going steady, boyfriends type thing, or whatever you want to call it? Because I mean, I told you from the start that I couldn’t take it slow with you. I really wasn’t kidding. Just call me psychic because, oh boy, you are just, wow. I don’t want to fart around in some kind of ‘are we or aren’t we’ limbo. What I mean to say is that I would like to be your boyfriend if you’ll have me. And not just for some party to impress your family but for real. And I know I’ve got a bit of a history that may not really mesh with that article you read, but I really like you. And yes I know it’s fast, and yes even if you say no I will still go with you to your party but I just need to know what we’re doing now so I don’t get my heart broken.”

Every single word Steve knew fell out of his head. He was standing in the middle of the kitchen holding a piece of bacon with a bite out of it and nothing in his body worked. His lungs stopped, his heart didn’t beat, everything froze as he tried to absorb the words that he could almost see as if they were coming at him like a Star Wars scrolling intro. Each word processed slowly but surely as his body rebooted. Darting his eyes to Bucky’s and watching in slow motion as Bucky’s hopeful and warm face started to fall. 

Steve’s body started moving before his brain had fully caught up yet, because when Steve finally understood what was happening his mouth was already on Bucky’s in a deep kiss. He felt the soft tangles of Bucky’s hair between his fingers and pulled his face away to look into the steel gray eyes that he could swear looked a little bit glassy. 

“So,” Bucky cleared his throat, “I’ll take that as a yes then?”

Steve laughed as he nodded. 

“Of course you dufus.” 

“Well good. Not going to lie, you scared me for a second there.” Bucky stepped out of Steve’s embrace towards the bacon, grabbing a slice from the plate before hopping onto the counter. 

“Haven’t had my coffee yet.” Steve sipped from his large mug once before Bucky grabbed it from him and took his own sip. 

Bucky looked back at his phone and started typing quickly. A beep rang out almost immediately after he sent it and he tossed the phone on the counter with a laugh after he glanced at the message. Steve tried not to let his tense shoulders give him away. 

“I got a text this morning from some girl I met about a year ago at some annual party,” Bucky chuckled as he started picking away at the plate with his fork. “Can you imagine just texting someone out of the blue that you haven’t talked to in a year and assuming they will want to hook up?” 

Every bit of tension in Steve’s body melted away as Bucky’s laugh was muffled by his eggs. “It’s almost as crazy as grabbing your neighbour from the hall and asking him to pretend to be your boyfriend.”

Bucky’s eyes scrunch together as his ears start to turn red. “Or as crazy as a guy who is too embarrassed to tell a guy who asked him to be his pretend boyfriend that he wants to go on a date with him so he sets up an elaborate bar crawl ruse as a way to spend time together.” 

Steve chokes on his coffee with a laugh. “That almost came out of my nose.” He coughs and wipes his chin off with a paper towel. 

Bucky smiles innocently, “I just wanted to be honest with my boyfriend is all.” 

The flush that spread across Steve’s cheeks at the words “my boyfriend” matched the one on Bucky’s face. He leaned across the table and gave Bucky one gentle kiss on the lips before peppering his cheeks and forehead with a barrage of quick pecks. 

“Ahh!” Bucky flailed and attempted to get away, “Get off of me you animal!” 

“Never!” Steve yelled back as he pinned Bucky’s arms to his side by wrapping around him tight. “I just found out my _boyfriend_ tricked me. I am completely devastated by his deception, and will retaliate with as much force as I see fit!” 

The frantic pecks continued as Bucky squirmed and wiggled out of his chair in an attempt to back away, until he tripped over the area rug in the living room and fell backward, Steve landing hard on top of him. 

“Well, ouch.” Bucky wheezed. 

“I’m so sorry!” Steve tried to roll quickly to the side but was enveloped in Bucky’s arms faster than he could react. 

“I’ll survive.” Bucky’s chuckle was warm and sweet as he squeezed Steve gently before placing a quick kiss to the tip of his nose. 

Steve stood up and pulled Bucky up with him, and they stood nose to nose in the middle of his living room. 

“So, boyfriends, huh?” Steve asked. 

“Boyfriends.” 

“In the name of honesty, you totally caught me off guard. And I had already had a cup of coffee, that was my second one.” Steve grazed the tip of his nose along Bucky’s sharp jawline. 

“Hey, like I said, I told you on day one that with you there is no ‘slow’. I just didn’t want to end up as one of those cliches, you know? I like you, you like me. It’s better when it’s simple and honest, don’t you think?” Steve couldn’t help but notice the way Bucky’s breath caught as Steve’s lips grazed his neck. 

“I mean, there are some things you might enjoy slow.” Steve’s tongue followed the edge of Bucky’s ear and along his jaw. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bucky’s low voice vibrated through Steve’s chest. 

“Liar,” Steve mouthed aimlessly along Bucky’s neck. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Or at least part of you does.” Steve’s hand cautiously traced Bucky’s thigh with the most barely-there touch he could manage, but he couldn’t help but notice the higher he got the more Bucky leaned into it. 

Bucky’s reply was nothing more than a desperate whimper as his head dropped back making his neck appear like an endless playground for Steve. Using his tongue, he traced a precise pattern up the pulse point before him, letting the increased tempo of his boyfriend’s breathing fuel his game. 

As Bucky’s stance faltered, Steve’s hands found his waist and gripped tightly to sturdy him. Steve began to trail them lower until his hands rested where his legs met the muscular backside that had become Steve’s new obsession. 

With a definitive pull, Steve was able to yank Bucky up and force his legs to wrap around his own waist. He did everything in his power to hold strong and not spoil what he had set up. Bucky adjusted his grip and in the process managed to rub his hard length against Steve’s, almost ending them both then and there. Their moans melted together as their mouths crashed into each other, resulting in a reckless moment of passionate and aggressive thrusts. 

But Steve caught himself and pulled his mouth off of Bucky’s and gripped him tight enough to stop him from continuing to bounce his weight around resulting in a soft whine. 

“Brat.” Steve bit into the space where Bucky’s neck met his shoulder and was rewarded with another soft moan. 

The deliberate and steady steps that Steve took to the couch were truly his most challenging test for himself. Every time his legs moved, he could feel the friction against his own straining erection. He was trying to tease Bucky, but he was starting to think this was harder on him. He needed to regain some ground here. 

He sat down on the couch with Bucky in his lap, hoping that he’d be able to get a bit of distance now that he wouldn’t have to hold him up, but he wasn’t taking into account just how big of a brat Bucky could be. 

Now that he had the high ground, Bucky thought he was in control, grinding down against Steve and latching onto his pulse point with his greedy mouth. But no, that wasn’t what Steve was trying to do, as amazing as it felt. 

A quick maneuver resulted in Bucky flat on his back on the plush soft as he landed with a squeak. Steve made a mental note to send a gift basket to his personal trainer as he pinned Bucky’s arms above his head. 

“These stay here, got it?” 

Bucky’s Adam's apple bobbed as he nodded with enthusiasm. 

Steve watched him through his lashes as he kissed his way down Bucky’s chest, enjoying the soft fabric of his t-shirt on his cheek. His hand reached up and bunched the fabric up on his pecs, revealing the hard lines of his stomach stretched tight as he lay awaiting Steve’s assault. Steve used the lines as guide, tracing them with his tongue. Following each dent, tracing each scar, and sucking on each freckle. The heat radiated from under his tongue as he made his way lower and lower. 

Bucky whimpered and whined as Steve started to lick along his hip bones. Steve’s hands had to reach across and hold him steady as Bucky’s hips began to squirm of their own accord. He traced his thumbs from the outer edge of the band of Bucky’s briefs and worked them until they met in the middle, grazing the leaking tip that was straining and stretching the fabric. Steve pulled the fabric away from Bucky’s body and was proud to hear a soft hiss from Bucky as he reacted to the cool air catching the wetness. 

Steve leaned in with only the very tip of his tongue and licked a wet line from the base all the way along the bottom vein to the leaking slit. Before the line of spit could dry he followed it back, this time blowing gently, enjoying the strained whine from the man above him. 

Repeating the motion once, twice, and a third time, he couldn’t help but feel addicted to the sounds he heard. He began to trace his fingers back up Bucky’s torso, stopping to twirl around his nipple before continuing up to trace his jaw and ending at his lips. Circling them once, he noticed the way Bucky chased after them with his tongue and was pleased to know that he had predicted what was next. Steve gently fed two fingers into Bucky’s mouth, but the result was anything but gentle. 

Bucky sucked the fingers in with force, pulling them in faster and further than Steve anticipated. He could feel the vibrations through his whole hand as Bucky moaned against them, swirling his tongue around the digits sloppily. Steve pulled them out slowly, ghosting them down his entire body without actually making contact in order to save the moisture for his next destination. 

Steve’s other hand pressed firmly against Bucky’s thigh and lifted it until it rested on the back of the couch, causing his leg to dangle. His other thigh spread outward of his own accord and Steve was practically panting himself as his boyfriend put himself on display. The spit-slick fingers found their way to the tight rim and rested on it without moving and without any pressure. Bucky cried out with an aggravated and incoherent mumble that made Steve chuckle and relent ever so slightly. 

He started by tracing the rim with the wetness until the entire thing was shiny. Taking his index finger he started tracing it again, this time applying a small amount of pressure to ever so slightly breach the tight hole. Bucky’s scream caught in his throat. 

Steve’s tongue continued to trace delicate lines up the dripping cock in front of him, always making sure to collect all the liquid from the slit but never taking the head into his mouth. Steve pressed his finger deeper and felt Bucky press hard backwards to force him even deeper. 

“Patience,” he pressed his tongue flat against Bucky’s length for the first time. 

“I need more,” Bucky’s voice cracked. 

“Alright, dollface, I will give you a little bit more.” Steve raised himself up enough to get the head of Bucky’s cock to the edge of his lips and started to suckle on it like a popsicle. He sucked it hard into his mouth and heard the almost pained cry from Bucky combined with what he could almost swear was fabric ripping. Looking up through his eyelashes, he could see Bucky’s hands were still held up above his head, but the pillow that had been in his arms reach now had a big rip in it. 

Steve pressed his finger deeper in, feeling the slightest bit of resistance as he pushed forward. Without warning, he swallowed down as much of Bucky’s length as he could before he would gag, managing to get more than he expected. He felt the couch shift as Bucky’s head whipped up to watch and was thrilled to hear the whimper that accompanied it. 

As fast as he was on, he pulled back and let Bucky’s cock slap against his stomach. He smirked and used his free hand to massage Bucky’s balls, feeling them tighten at his touch. Steve lowered his head and tilted it to reach the point where his fingers disappeared. His tongue stretched out and he licked a thick line from where they connected and followed it up over Bucky’s balls and all the way back to his tip. 

“You’re killing me. I’m going to die,” Bucky’s pleas didn’t go unnoticed. 

Steve pulled his finger out and just as Bucky’s mouth opened to complain, he was stunned by Steve’s tongue pushing into the rim as his lips sealed around and he sucked hard. His neighbours were going to have complaints if they kept this up because the scream that Bucky let out was likely heard from the first floor. 

Steve didn’t stop though. He started pressing his tongue in rhythmic patterns, alternating between circling the rim and fucking him with his tongue. He briefly felt Bucky’s hand touch the back of his head but when his eyes snapped up, he saw the arm return to gripping his pillow. 

The spit-soaked rim made the press of two fingers easier as Steve watched them disappear into Bucky up close. He marveled at how well Bucky stretched, and even more how he managed to stay mostly still while he did this. But Bucky was not going to stay still forever. He felt his fingers getting pulled in deeper without meaning to as Bucky pushed his hips down against the plush cushions. Steve let Bucky do it, he had been so patient. He allowed Bucky to pull his hips up and crash down on the two fingers a few times before he started to scissor his fingers and spread him open. 

They worked in tandem for several moments, Steve occasionally dipping his tongue in to add more saliva to lubricate their efforts. He looked up at Bucky again, and saw that his eyes were screwed shut and his lip was going white under the bite of his teeth. The flush that filled Bucky’s entire chest almost hid all the bites Steve had left in his earlier efforts but there was something so beautiful about how red he was. 

“Do I have to beg, Stevie?” Bucky whined. 

“I don’t know, are you absolutely sure you don’t want to go slow?” Steve tormented, slowly slipping in a third finger and increasing the pace that he fucked them in. 

“This was fun but I think I’ll stick with my original answer: I don’t want to go slow anymore.” He barely finished his sentence before Steve yanked him up off the couch and back into his arms. Steve managed to make it across his apartment without even really knowing how but suddenly he was tossing Bucky onto his bed and ripping off his own pants. 

Bucky’s legs folded up into his chest as he grabbed the backs of his knees and pleaded. “Give me everything.” 

Steve reached to the bedside table and quickly grabbed a condom and lube to prepare himself. Within seconds he was lined up with Bucky and started to pound into him hard. He pushed on Bucky’s knees causing him to angle off the bed, giving Steve even more leverage to piston in. Bucky’s mouth hung open and his eyes kept trying to catch Steve’s but would slam shut as Steve began to hit that little spot that sent fireworks through his veins. 

The bed springs creaked quickly to match their aggressive thrusting and just as Bucky started to mumble out something Steve used one hand to wrap around his cock and grip it tightly around the base causing Bucky to let out a strangled scream as his orgasm was snatched away just at the brink. 

“Not yet.” Steve growled and tried hard not to laugh at the tightening of Bucky’s jaw and the scratch marks he gave himself on the back of his thighs.

Bucky couldn’t respond but Steve waited for a moment for his breathing to settle before he started to pull back millimeter by millimeter as slow as molasses until he was almost completely out. Bucky unfocused eyes found Steve’s and as if Steve could hear the pleas from inside Bucky’s mind he slammed himself forward. Steve started jacking Bucky in sync with the snapping of his hips and it was only a few more pumps before Bucky’s animalistic groan followed by a vice-like clenching pulled them both over the edge. 

Steve rolled to the side and found himself tangled in Bucky’s limbs. He never wanted to be anywhere else. 

“Okay,” Bucky sighed as his breathing started to even out. “I guess sometimes it’s okay to go slow.” 

Steve laced his fingers into Bucky's and drew the hand up to his lips and kissed it with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost was going to make it have a conflict, but then I decided that maybe instead people should just have conversations and actually just resolve things and be cute and happy instead. If only life were as easy as being a character in a fan fiction, huh? Anyways, comments + kudos are very much appreciated and make me want to write more. If you like it, please let me know! I am nothing if I am not desperate for validation lol. Also, I still don't really think the title works anymore given that it's not really following the plot of the original movie inspo. Any suggestions?


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